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Getting Around the City
Currently, taxi, bus, e-bike, bike, or foot are the ways of getting around the city. If biking, make sure you buy a facemask or you'll be inhaling a lot more particulate matter (PM) than you want to, believe me. Also, lock your bike with several different locks. Whenever possible, park your bike somewhere where someone watches the bike for you. Its only 0.5-1 RMB, so just do it. Bike theft is rampant and the thieves are very good. On the plus side, its easy to go out and buy a cheap stolen bike. Maybe you can even find your own stolen bike and buy it back?!? lol. Bus Here is Google's Nanning Bus Route Travel Planner. The bus costs 1 RMB/ride. Currently, there is a lot of construction (a subway is currently being built) and moving about the city is slow. The busses arrive outside the Main Gate of Guangxi University frequently and also outside East Gate. The biggest worry about taking them is theft. This is not an issue specific to Nanning, but it is something that locals often warn teachers about. Teachers have had items stolen from them and seen items stolen from others while on the bus. The time when the doors are open is particularly bad. This is not meant to scare you from using the bus and many teachers continue to use the bus without problems. It is important, however, to be aware of the risk and take precautions. Advice: *Keep your backpack/knapsack/packsack in-front of you. *Keep your wallet and phone in your front pockets. Thieves will slit your back pocket and your wallet can fall out. Nanning does have a few air-conditioned buses (look for buses with their windows all closed) and these ones cost 2 RMB. The Langdong (east of Nanhu lake) area of Nanning is a more wealthy part of town and several bus lines there have a 2 RMB fare. Taxi A trip downtown from Guangxi University costs ~ 20RMB. A trip to the airport from Guangxi University (or the other way) should not cost more than 100RMB E-bike While there has been a sharp increase in the amount of cars on Nanning's roads recently, E(lectric) bikes are quite common. These bikes are powered by a car battery and often can carry two people. They are probably the most convenient way to make it around the city. There are several streets around Nanning where many e-bike stores are concentrated. Prices for good new e-bikes start at around 1,500 RMB and can go up to 3,000 RMB or even higher. E-bike speeds vary but usually go from 20-30 mph (30-45 kph) and their range is about 20-30 miles on one battery charge. It takes a fully depleted battery about 8 hours to fully charge again. Gas Bike I am ignorant of the traffic laws around here, not that anyone seems to follow them in any case. I know though that many foreigners do drive motor bikes without a license or insurance. However, from what I hear gas bikes over 50cc are banned in the city and cops often run road blocks where they gather people's illegal gas bikes and/or make them pay a fine.Foreigners can often make it through these road blocks, possibly because they don't want to go through the trouble of finding a police officer who speaks English. I don't know. Pedal Bike Traffic is quite slow. Pedal bikers are often able to keep up with the flow of traffic. Some pedal bikers even go faster than motorized bikes. Of course, its also cheap and good for your health! The Guangxi University campus is very large and SCIC teachers don't always live close to their classrooms. The school will provide a bike for you, but you could also buy your own if you want better quality. You can get a new single-speed bike for 200-400 yuan, depending on quality. (Be sure to have a big basket put on the front!) I bought a good quality three-speed Giant brand "city bike" last year for 900 yuan. I use it for going to class, going shopping on campus and nearby, and even for exercise. You can also get mountain bikes for something like 800 yuan and upwards. I recommend wearing a helmet, though very few people do so. If you like riding for exercise, I suggest going out the West Gate and heading north or northwest. There are some good, wide roads out that way that have little traffic. There's a lot of traffic if you go out the Front Gate or East Gate. Bike taxis In front of Guangxi University's main gate, you will often see bike taxis. They are very fast and often quite cheap. Make sure you bargain. Don't be shy!